Biological degradation of polyethylene terephthalate by rhizobacteria

In view of the growing demand for plastic products, an enormous proportion of plastic waste causing the biological issue is produced. Plants in collaboration with their rhizobacteria partners are also exposed to these contaminants. The study aims to determine the rhizobacterial ability to biodegrade PET plastic. We isolated the rhizobacteria capable of degrading the PET plastic in minimal salt media using it as a sole carbon source. The three rhizospheric isolates, namely Priestia aryabhattai VT 3.12 (GenBank accession No. OK135732.1), Bacillus pseudomycoides VT 3.15 (GenBank accession No. OK135733.1), and Bacillus pumilus VT 3.16 (GenBank accession No. OK1357324.1), showed the highest degradation percentage for PET sheet and powder. The biodegradation end products post 28 days for PET sheet and 18 days of PET powder were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Our results showed significant biodegradation of PET plastic, and the rate of degradation could account for over 65%. The present study proves soil rhizobacteria's potential and capabilities for efficient degradation of PET plastic occurring at the waste sites. It also implies that rhizobacteria could be beneficial in the remediation of PET waste in future applications.